Watch Your Windshield

The windshield scratches easily? Maybe the part that's scratching is the hydrophobic coating?

 

My quote was as follows for my replacement windshield for the Prius C Two which had to come directly from the dealer as not other glass companies have it available.

Front Windshield: $953.00

Molding 1: $76.65

Molding 2: $31.73

Labor: $204.14

Total $1265.52


I am so thankful that I chose the $0 glass deductible when I added this car to my policy. The entire comprehensive coverage with $100 deductible and $0 glass deductible is only $52 for six months. I guess Progressive is losing out big time on this one.

 

How weird, the crack in my windshield that I got from this past 4th if July looks so similar to yours. I got passed up by a Mustang and I heard a rock hit the windshield. I noticed it after I stopped at a gas station and the crack was already 12in long. Believe that I am pissed because I just bought this car at the end of May. As of today the crack has spread another 8 inches.

 

Factory defects are hard to prove and the dealers know that. I guess the best thing to do is have excellent w/s replacement coverage. We have a 2004 Honda Accord which we bought new. We have replaced the w/s at least once if not twice due to a small pebble hitting it at highway speed.

Note: Make sure your installer is careful and does not damage your paint during install. Inspect the car very carefully before and after the install. Point out to the installer the paint, car and dash are in perfect condition and you expect him to take care when replacing your w/s. Just sayin.......some of them are rushed and paid by how many they install in a day. I gleaned this info from the installer who worked on our Honda. He did an excellent job.

 

This is good to know, I was just wondering what sort of cloth or scrub I could use to clean the inside of the windows. I was worried about scratching if I used my long-handled, angled scrubber. Now I think I will just stick to paper towels.

 

I'm interested in this info too - just noticing today that the windshield on the inside needs cleaning (sort of a haze on it). I have some lint-free cloths specifically for window cleaning - was just going to use those and windex - is there anything better?

I should thank everyone else who posted about problems with their windshield cracks in this thread! I saw this thread before I got my C and made some decisions on my insurance for windshield replacement that I would never have made otherwise (now I only have to worry about the inconvenience in time for having a replacement done, but I won't have to cry about the cost).

 

Glass cracks and yes it really sucks when it does. But rarely is the crack from a factory defect. It can be from a very small stone deflecting off the windshield and you may never hear the sound of a small rock hitting the front windshield. Windshields these days are made cheap and also easily scratch. Once you have a stone chip its only a matter of time before it shoots a crack accross the windshield unless you have it repaired.

IMPORTANT note- do not use the wind shield squeegee at the gas station. In one swipe you can put a scratch in your windshield with a squeegee. I have seen people at the pumps washing their headlights with squeegees and all the grit contained within. For what its worth.

 

Also, my boyfriend once cleaned vomit off the side of my car with one of those, and I'm sure he's not the only one.

 

. . . Yeah . . . Been there

 

Wh

That's absolutely insane, anyone know why these windshields are so expensive? Is it a supply/demand issue? Not enough of these cars on the road? This just seems insanely high. Also, what's the benefit of using the OEM windshield vs third party in this case?

 

Why is it so high? Is the Prius C windshield that much different? I have a 2007 Prius that just got a crack in it, went out for quotes. They were between $250-$350, fully installed - the $100 difference was if I had the "acoustic" windshield or not.

 

bet your insurance company paid out no more than $300-400. what you saw is what you would pay if you didnt have insurance. Insurance companies dont pay retail

 

Yep, Insurance company will not pay close that much. Also, these days $950 for OEM is on the low side for a lot of cars. Also, in a lot of states they are not required to use an OEM replacement.

 

Thanks to everyone who wrote about their insurance deductibles..I'm in the process of renewing my policy this month and I have a $500 deductible.. I called Toyota when this first happened but there's no warranty that covers this.

My windshield cracked similar to the original poster where the crack appeared the next day. I kind of expected a crack to appear immediately because I was just sitting at a red light, and cars were just driving by (no trucks or construction near by) when I thought I got shot at. The impact of the rock was so loud that I actually flinched and was surprised when I looked up that nothing was shattered.

I do have a tiny, tiny piece of rock embedded in my windshield that I discovered the next day when I saw the crack literally grow and crawl across the bottom of the windshield. I took video of it on my iPhone but it didn't turn out very well, but amusing nonetheless. Water doesn't leak at the source of the crack, thankfully.

The glass is definitely thinner on the Prius C than my Honda hatchback so it doesn't surprise me that my Prius had a crack grow across the windshield within a matter of minutes. I'm saving up to get a new windshield though!

 

Excellent tips thanks everyone

 

Looks like no posts on this subject for a while, but I just joined priuschat to vent about this. My 2004 Prius battery bit the dust 3 months after 10-year warranty expired, so dealer gave me a Prius C loaner to tide me over while I decide whether the '04 is a wash. Within 2 days of having the loaner, my daughter leaned on the windshield and it cracked - I heard it pop. She didn't push it very hard, and it wasn't an impact. Ridiculous that it is so brittle; also seems potentially dangerous. So now I have to deal with replacing the windshield on the loaner car, and decide what to do with the non-functional '04.

 

theres a lot of reasons why windshields can be cracked. Rocks are mainly the cause but also happen in winter time when you put the heat on the front shield in the cold mornings.

I have a 2013 C and have no cracks yet. I also have an 04 toyota Rav4 which still has the original windshield.

 

I use Stoner Invisible Glass foam spray. You can get it at most auto stores and Walmart (I think). Much cleaner result than Windex. And use a microfiber towel to wipe it off. Gotta admit I'm OCD about a clean windshield...I keep a can and a towel in the rear passenger door cupholder of my truck and clean multiple times a week.